Topic: chemoembolization vs radioembolization

Looking for REAL LIFE thoughts and experiences (as opposed to linksand medical data which I can never understand anyway) please.

After Kyle finishes 2 more weeks of Gem/Cis (total now of 16 chemo treatments--not cycles. He will have had 18 total chemo days ofgem/cis when he's done)

With ZERO 'bad' side effects other than tired. No numbness,sensitivity to cold, nada. he feels pretty darn lucky.

They want him to meet with a radiologist and discuss the abovetwo options. I have read LOTS online about pros/cons...but wouldLOVE to hear PERSONAL stories of those who have done it.

Real life examples.

I am nervous to venture into the unknown when what we'redoing is working quite well. We would like as much GOOD timeas possible...so far that's what we're getting.

As a refresher kyle was diagnosed in March of this yr.Stage 4, one main liver tumor with 2 or 3 regional lymph nodesinvolved and 2 teeny spots in lungs. But yup, still stage 4 metastaticcancer. never a great thing. but fight we will for as long as we can.

Re: chemoembolization vs radioembolization

Hey Dorien, I can tell you a little bit. My Doctor and I chose to do chemo embolization because of my circumstances. Everyone is different. I've never been officially staged but my guess is stage 4 since I have a tumor in my liver plus satellites in there, some lymph node involvement and bone mets. I was diagnosed 1/12. I did a drug study for unknown primary to start, then after CC diagnosis switched to Gem/Cis. I have been on a chemo break for about 2 months. I have one larger tumor in the left lobe of the liver and it is really high in the dome which is very difficult to access so that was part of the reason for the chemo embo. I had it done about a week ago on 8/15. The procedure is very straight forward and I was aware of very little or just didn't care. They had a bit of trouble getting through my very small arteries but once they got through everything worked fine. I was in the hospital overnight....I had no nausea, some mild pains more related to my bone mets rather than the procedure. I was really tired for 2 days and pretty much just felt better lying down. As they said I felt minor flu like. By Day 4 I could get up and around and after a week back to normal. I did get a hematoma at the insertion site but otherwise all is good. I won't know until Sept 16 when I get my follow up MRI and CT scan how well it worked.Hope this helps.Cathy

Re: chemoembolization vs radioembolization

Re: chemoembolization vs radioembolization

Dorien if you go to our Search site above and type in what word/words you are looking for many posts will appear about your questions. I am also sure more Members will be posting but when I want a question answered quickly I usually go to the Search site. That's the best I can tell you on this one. Be Strong!

THANK YOU FOR LOVING ME! Teddy ~In our hearts forever~ATTITUDE is EVERYTHINGAny suggestion I offer is intended as friendly advice based solely on my own experience. Please consult your doctor for professional guidance.

Re: chemoembolization vs radioembolization

Re: chemoembolization vs radioembolization

Hi Dorien,

My Lauren had radioembolization in the form of Theraspheres. She had it on the side of her liver that had several small tumors. The actual procedure was not painful. She did develop a pain in her chest that lasted for weeks and the doctors attributed it to nerve pain. The spots showed up on future CT scans and the docs were not sure if it worked. Turns out when she had her first surgery, her surgeon said all the tumors on that side were dead, so it did work. It is difficult to tell in a CT though. Hope this helps some. Take care.

Hugs,-Pam

My beautiful daughter, Lauren Patrice, will live on in my heart forever.

My comments, suggestions, and opinions are based on my experience as a caretaker for my daughter, Lauren and from reading anything I can get my hands on about Cholangiocarcinoma. Please consult a physician for professional guidance.

Re: chemoembolization vs radioembolization

Re: chemoembolization vs radioembolization

I had theraspheres in February two short weeks after a liver resection that took my left lobe but was only palliative as there were also small tumors on the right that were left in. The two weeks following the spheres were like the flu with fevers and tired and then all better. The surgery was the hard thing to recover from. But then in parts of April and May I had a series of recurring fevers and an overwhelming lethargy - - every time I stood up I felt I would shatter into pieces and end up in a pile of shards on the floor -- it was wierd. By the end of May that was all gone and my markers were all much lower (but never back to normal) My interventional radiaologist says the tumor necrosis factor caused the fevers and that the tumors were dying off. Sure enough by scans mid-July I had no visible evidence of any disease, no tumors, nothing. I have had an absolutely wonderful summer and have felt, other than tiredness, much better than I did when I was diagnosed in October 2012. I have not been on any chemo or anything since January because my platelets are shot. The bad news is that my markers doubled between July and August so I need to move on. I am getting new scans this week. So I believe that the combination of surgery to de-bulk the tumor load, followed immediately by the y-90, bought me six months of good times with my family, even with the fevers. So I am a fan. You can only do y-90 twice. I would not hesitate to have another go down the road with it. I hope this helps. email me if you have any other questions about my experience with y-90 radioembolization, and good luck!Holly

Re: chemoembolization vs radioembolization

LET'S here it for HOLLY! I am so glad you are doing well and enjoying your summer. You go girl. This is how I like to go to bed at night and wake up in the morning...to good news.

THANK YOU FOR LOVING ME! Teddy ~In our hearts forever~ATTITUDE is EVERYTHINGAny suggestion I offer is intended as friendly advice based solely on my own experience. Please consult your doctor for professional guidance.

The information expressed is not medical advice. The discussion boards are not intended to replace the services of a trained health professional or to be a substitute for the medical advice of physicians or other healthcare providers. Read the full disclaimer.